A drafty garden can get uncomfortably cool, even in warm weather. A windbreak noticeably increases the feel-good quality of your second living room and makes spending time outdoors pleasant even when the days become shorter and significantly cooler. Due to their uneven surface, hedges are more effective as windbreaks than, for example, wooden elements and are therefore very popular.
Which plants are suitable for a hedge as a windbreak?
Wind-resistant plants such as privet, cherry laurel, yew, false cypress, conifer, arborvitae, dogwood, hornbeam, field maple, hawthorn, sal willow, black chokeberry, cornelian cherry, copper rock pear, weigela and buddleia are suitable as windbreak hedges. Free-growing hedges offer the best wind protection, while narrow hedges are ideal for terraces.
Which bushes are suitable?
Various wind-resistant plants can be used for the windbreak hedge:
- Privet,
- Cherry laurel,
- Yews,
- Mock cypress
- Conifer,
- Tree of Life,
- Dogwood,
- hornbeam,
- Field maple,
- Hawthorn,
- Sal willow,
- Black Chokeberry,
- Cornelian cherry,
- Copper Rock Pear,
- Weigela,
buddleia
and various others.
Free-growing hedges as property boundaries
Hedges planted in several rows made of different bushes offer the best wind protection. However, they take up a lot of space and are therefore only suitable as property enclosures.
Let these windbreak hedges grow freely and reach a height of around three to four meters. They then keep even stronger winds away from the property. These hedges also have great ecological value, as they serve as shelter for numerous animals.
There are hardly any limits when it comes to designing these green walls. You can combine the bushes so that some plants have flowers from spring to autumn. In autumn, fruit-bearing shrubs provide colorful accents.
Narrow hedges as wind protection for the terrace or small garden
An evergreen hedge turns the terrace into a cozy place. At the same time, the plants effectively block the wind, take up little space and do not appear as massive as a free-growing privacy screen. However, regular pruning is necessary to keep the windbreak in shape.
Many types of conifers, false cypresses and some types of cherry laurel are well suited as patio enclosures. The Portuguese laurel looks very pretty, growing elegantly and narrowly.
Tip
Boxwood hedges are only recommended to a limited extent, as the boxwood moth can cause considerable damage under certain circumstances and is difficult to combat. A nice replacement would be Griselinia littoralis, an attractive umbel-flowered shrub that also has small, glossy green leaves.
